Plano Magazine’s Beer Walk

For Father’s Day this year, I knew I wanted to do a brewery tour. I did some good ‘ol Googling and stumbled upon something even better – a beer walk.

If you’ve ever done the Plano Magazine Wine Walk* (or even if you haven’t), this sister event has a very similar concept – you walk around Willow Bend Mall in Plano, TX, drink beer from local breweries, and support local businesses .

*The Wine Walk is located at Plano’s Main Square, not Willow Bend Mall.

There are a certain number of small, local stores participating – we had 14, but that number can vary – around the mall that are paired up with small breweries. Each store is denoted with a “sampling location” sign out front and you can walk through both the stores and the mall with your samples. Many stores are giving discounts throughout the night, too!

Here are some logistics:

Tickets are $14 in advance, $20 at the door

Each participant is given a 3 oz glass (see below for a picture) and each station can give you up to 3 oz. You can mix and match between a few they have, or go all-in for one. Please drink responsibly!

Each location has a “rinsing station” so you don’t have to worry about finishing one you don’t like or having lingering beer from the last one.

In addition to the stores participating, the rest of the mall is open and there are pop-up vendors.

If you get to at least six stations (and have them mark on your card), you can enter into a drawing. Must be present to win.

Here’s a list of all of the stores at the mall that were participating (an asterisk denotes a discount given the night of the event – subject to change event to event):

Bailey Banks & Biddle*

BootyQueen*

Cutlery Collection*

Paint My Pottery*

North Texas Performing Arts

The Little Belt Shop*

Lone Star Iron Doors

SkyPony Gallery

Trollbeads*

Bullzerk*

Speranza Design Gallery*

Wicker Park Home

Brighton Collectibles

Crafted

Here’s a list of all of the breweries that were participating (linked, subject to change event to event):

Unlawful Assembly Brewing Company – Plano, TX (Located on the third floor of Legacy Hall). Stop by for a tour on Saturdays, or join in for Geeks Who Drink trivia night! My favorite is Peacemonger (their Pilsner). Texas Ale Project – located just across 35 from the museum district downtown. My favorite is an Amber Ale named “Fire Ant Funeral.”Their T.A.P. house is in an enclosed area so you can enjoy the brewery tours, chat with friends, and play cornhole!Great Raft Brewing – Shreveport, LANames include: “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” “Drunk Uncle,” and “Reasonably Corrupt.” Fullclip Craft Beer – a distributor of local beer. See their portfolio here!Rabbit Hole Brewing – Justin, TX (outside Fort Worth)Most of their beers seem to be paying homage to Alice in Wonderland, with beers like “Off with your Red,” “10 & 6,” and “Hatter’s Reserve.” There’s even a one named after Mike Modano (probably not related to Alice)!Hop & Sting Brewing Co – Grapevine, TXThey rent out parts of their facilities to other small craft breweries which is a great way to support other local companies (and help pay the rent).I had their beer that tastes like coffee and it did indeed taste like coffee!

Manhattan Project Beer Company – Trinity Groves. They’re currently subletting in another brewery’s location but will move into their own space in October of 2019.They have a large selection of beers, most with clever names like “Half-Life” and “Black Matter.”NoCoast Beer Co. – while this company is centered in Iowa, NoCoast has a large presence in Dallas.They’re worth checking out for even just their great can graphics!Lakewood Brewing Company – located in Garland. The founder is from Belgium which gives them a European flair.Their website lists many awards, as well as the best food pairings for each beer and the list of over 200 charities they’ve worked with!Peticolas Brewing Company – Design DistrictThey won this year’s “Best of Big D” award for Best Brewery!I had their Scottish Ale (“Great Scot!”) and really loved it.TKO Libations – in Castle Hills (where you can walk around and open-carry!).Pegasus City Brewing – near the Design DistrictAll of their designs (as their logo would suggest) look like old movie posters. I had the one with the Horned Frog on it!

Plano Magazine seems to do these every other month so keep your eyes peeled for the next one! You don’t want to miss it.